Portland sees second-warmest December ever recorded

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- El Niño really helped turn the thermostat up in Portland this December.

Portland saw its second-warmest December on record in 2023. During an El Niño year, the Pacific Northwest typically sees warmer-than-average conditions. December 2023's above-average conditions of 46.1 degrees rivaled Portland's all-time December record of 46.4 degrees set in 1950.

These above-average Decembers far outweigh the average mean temperature of 41.6 degrees for the final month of the year. These averages are looking at both the daytime highs and overnight lows and averaging them out for each day.

It's no surprise that Portland saw such a warm December. When looking at the number of above-average daytime highs, only five days were at or below normal. Not only did Portland see a surplus in warm weather, but the rain was plentiful too.

Portland gained a surplus in moisture this December, filling the monthly rain gauge to 8.73 inches. On average, Portland typically sees the most rain in December, but only with an average of 5.77 inches.

While this was a nice drink of water for the area, it didn't come with any records. The greatest amount of rain recorded in Portland in the month of December was 15.24 inches, recorded in 2015.

As January gets underway, Portland typically sees slightly warmer and slightly drier weather conditions. It's not much warmer or much drier, but it's moving slowly towards a warmer and brighter season.